Finally someone has stepped up to address the ridiculous age restriction issue in the NBA and amazingly enough he’s the U.S. Education Secretary.

Amid a flurry of scandals and controversial coaching moves in college sports, Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Thursday urged the NCAA to hold coaches more accountable for nefarious behavior and for the NBA to drop its age restriction that essentially forces players to attend college for at least one year.

Duncan called the NBA’s rule “intellectually dishonest” because “those kids are in school for three months. They are taking six hours of classes. They are not taking anything. It is not college athletics. They are divorced from the campus.”

Thank God someone is publicly admitting that the NCAA system has got its faults.  And I happen to agree with Duncan when he says that for that most part colleges have gotten it right.  But even Duncan understands that NCAA hoops is a business and the coaches are most assuredly realizing that as well.

When income, jobs, and status are controlled by 18-year-olds you obviously want to make sure you have the best crop to insure your success, even if that means being incredibly shady and breaking the rules.

And I happen to like Duncan’s other view as well…..

Duncan believes that if a player is talented enough to go to the NBA then he has that right but also added this about a player’s decision to go to school.

Duncan believes the few players who are talented enough to make the jump from high school to the NBA should be allowed to do so, but if a player chooses to go to college he should have to stay at least two years.

That much I can understand.   I mean going to school for one year doesn’t give much of a college experience.  Don’t put the onus on the NBA here.  Make the NCAA realize that it’s their job to teach these kids a thing or two.   The NBA should be teaching it’s younger players as well.  That is a program unto itself.

However, at least these players who decide to make the jump early aren’t subjected to the bullshit college experience.  They aren’t part of the easy classes, non realistic life.   At least they are thrown out into the real world and have made that decision.  The NBA should be guiding these kids, not the NCAA.

But if they do choose college, then dammit go to college for at least a period of time.

While this model isn’t perfect, I do believe it’s a step in the right direction and I respect Duncan for coming out and saying so.

[Via Washington Post]